Manufacture of tin bread



May 23 1944- L. s. HARBER MANUFACTURE 0F TIN BREAD Filed Dec. 2o, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jn M M May 23, 1944. 1.. s. HARBER MANUFACTURE OF TIN BREAD Filed Deo. 20, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 23, 1944. s. HARBER MANUFACTURE OF TIN BREAD 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed DGO'. 20, 1941 May 23, 1944. L s. HARBER MANUFACTURE OF TIN BREAD Filed Dec. 20, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 @y 23, 1944- L. s. HARBER MANUFACTURE 0F TIN BREAD Filed Dec. 20, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented May 23, 1944 MANUFACTURE F TIN BREAD Laurence Seymour Barber, Peterborough, England, assigner to Baker Perk" As Limited, Peterborough, England Application December 20, 1941, Serial No. 423,847 In Great Britain January 9, 1941 4 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of tin bread and has more particular reference to the greasing or oiling of the dough prior to its insertion in\ the tins.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a method and means for automatically applying grease or oil to those surfaces of the dough pieces that come into contact with the tins during baking. while maintaining that portion of each dough piece which is to form the top of the loaf, free from grease or oil.

According to the invention, dough pieces are passed, preferably immediately before they enter the tins, into contact with oil-bearing faces adapted to control the delivery of the dough pieces to the tins so that oil is transferred to the tin-contact surfaces only of the dough pieces. By tin-contact surfaces is meant the bottom, ends and so much of the sides of a dough piece as lies against the tin during baking (i. e. after the dough has risen and expanded).

The dough pieces may contact with the oilbearing surfaces by being passed or pressed between rolling surfaces, or they may contact with a relative sliding movement, or they may be rolled over oil-bearing surfaces. The oil-bearing surfaces may be oil-fed or saturated with oil, or oil may from time to time be applied thereto in a thin layer by spreading means and then transferred to the dough.

According to one form of apparatus for automatically ,oiling dough pieces, a pair of hinged, or preferably revoluble oil-fed flaps are positioned over a tin charging station and are oper ated in synchronism with the tin feeding means so that in one position of the flaps a dough piece is supported while in another position it passes between the flaps into the Waiting tin. Thus, in resting on the flaps, the bottom of the dough piece is oiled and as the piece passes between the iaps the sides of the dough piece have oil applied upon an area equivalent to that which will contact witlithe tin during the baking period.

In order to apply oil to the ends of the dough piece the flaps operate between end plates which depend below the flaps and are swept by their end surfaces, so that an oil coating is applied thereto. When the iiaps open the end surfaces of the dough piece slide against the oiled end plates and thereby receive a transfer of oil from the end plates.

According to another mode, the dough piece may be rolled against an oiled side contacting surface and end contacting surfaces by a roller Figures 1 and 2 are elevation and plan of oilig means according to one form of the inven- Figures 3 and 4 are elevation and plan showing the control of the feeding of the dough pieces to the oiling means,

Figures 5 and 6 are elevation and a plan of a modified form of the oiling means,

Figures 7 and 8 are elevation and plan of a further modification,

, Figure 9 being a detail of the cam means.

In carrying the invention into eifect according to one convenient mode as described by way of example, a pair of iiaps I, 2 mounted on a hollow shaft or shafts 3, 4 having axial borings 9 therein are positioned at a tin-charging station over the position which each tin 5 is adapted to occupy for the reception of its complement of dough for baking. The flaps may conveniently be wedge-shaped in cross-section and may be made of thick felt, or they may be hollow and covered with felt. For example, they may be made of perforated sheet or thin metal 6 covered with felt 1 and fed with oil from the shafts 3, 4 through perforations or oil-ways 8 therein. The oil is supplied to these shafts by oil supply pipes l0 passing through stuffing boxes II. Where the flaps I, 2 are formed of pieces of thick felt appropriately shaped the oil is fed through perforations in the shafts and saturates the felt.

'I'he flaps I, 2 are each formed with a cylindrical rear face I2 which serves as a roller surface for engaging and pressing the dough as it is passed downwardly between theflaps.

The shafts 3, 4 are geared together by gear wheels 43, 44 (Figure 4) and given an intermittent rotation in opposite directions, the ar.- rangement being that the dough is received on the I iaps when they are stationary with their supporting surfaces in a substantially horizontal position and facing one another to form a platform. Assuming that a dough piece is on the platform and ready to be fed into a tin, the flaps commence a downward rotation, continuing through one revolution and returning to the platform forming position. The shafts 3, 4 should be spaced apart a distance such that when the iiaps are open as shown in the dot and dash line in Figure 1 the throat between them is slightly less in width than the diameter of the dough pieces in order to ensure that the dough pieces make a good contactA with the cylindrical rear surfaces I2 of the flaps.

At their ends the flaps I, 2 have faces I3 which may be of felt and which are at rightangles to the axis of the shafts and these faces are adapted to distribute oil. In contact with each end face I3 of the iiaps is positioned an end plate I4 which serves to guide and position the dough piece and act to apply oil to the ends of the piece as such passesinto the tin 5. For this purpose the end plates are preferably made to extend substantially below the horizontal plane l The flaps I, 2 are operated in synchronisin with means for delivering dough pieces thereto and with the movement of the train of tins for receiving the dough pieces.

According to a convenient arrangement the dough pieces are conveyed between a conveyor A band I6 and a supporting board or table l1 which terminates at a position adapted to deliver the dough pieces onto the flaps I. 2. Stepped back from the delivery end the table is provided with an aperture I8 through which a pivoted ap 30 projects into the path of the dough pieces. The ap is secured upon a shaft I3 to which a lever is xed. This lever ls connected by the rod 2| to a lever 22 fixed to the shaft 23 which carries a trip lever 24. The trip lever co-operates with a pawl pivoted upon a plate 26 secured` to a sprocket wheel 21 which is loosely mounted upon a constantly rotating shaft 20. The shaft has secured thereto a ratchet wheel 25 with which the pawl 25 is `adapted to engage whereby an intermittent drive is imparted to the sprocket wheel 21.

The release of the pawl 25 occurs each time a dough piece passes into contact with the flap 30, which causes a tripping of thetrip lever 24 against the action of a spring 3|. 'Ihe tripping of the pawl 25 allows it to be pivoted by the spring 32 into engagement with the rotating ratchet wheel 29 whereby the plate 2B is rotated one revolution until the pawl 25 again engages the trip lever, which in the meantime has returned to its position against a stop 33. and withdraws the pawl 25 from the ratchet wheel.

The rotation of the plate 25 drives the sprock et 21 which drives a sprocket 34 secured upon the shaft 3 whereby the flaps l, 2 are given a rotary movement to oil a dough piece already resting thereon and deliver it into the baking tin.

The tripping and driving mechanism for the llaps is also adapted to control the feeding of the tins 5 which are adapted to be held stationary livered therein.

The tins 5 are adapted to be supported upon conveying sprocket chains 35 which are located in guide channels 36. The chains are constantly' driven and while th tins are stationary slide beneath the tins. The leading tin 5 is adaptedY to be held in the dough receiving position by a'pivoted catch 31 controlled by a spring 38. The catch is mounted on a shaft |39 having an arm 45 which lies in the path of a detent |40 on the plate 28, so that at a position about 270 from the normal stationary position of the plate the detent |40 will engage the arm and lower the catch 31 from the tin 5 allowing the latter to be fed along by the chains 35. When the detent has disengaged the tail piece the catchl returns by the spring 3l, engaging the bottom of the tin ready to rise into the path of the succeeding tin.

'I'he shaft 28 is driven from the shaft 55 by chain and sprocket means 40, 4|, 42. The shaft 35 is. driven by the-chain and sprocket 45, 41 from `a motor (not shown). The drive for the chains 35 is taken from the shaft 50 by gearing 40. 45 and shaft 50 on which the chain sprockets 5| are mounted.

The arrangement above described may be utll lised for applying oil or grease'to a cylindrical or sausage-shaped piece of dough or it may be employed foroiling a plurality of adjacent pieces Aof dough delivered at the same time to the flaps.

The hollow shafts on which the flaps are mounted are connected through a suitable conduit to a feed pipe which may be supplied with Sill under gravity action or by a forced feed de In operation, a dough piece falls with its longltudinal axis more or less parallel with'the shafts of the ilaps and 2 and rests on the flaps j is first deposited in a tin it lies with its under surface up to about the horizontal diametric '4 the dough rises and expands the arcuate surface ali` f' contact with the tin, and hence it is necessary not '5 only to apply oil over the surface of the doughv plane, in contact with the tin walls; however, as

of the piece above such plane will be brought into piece up to the diametric plane but beyond it to a considerable extent, in order to ensure that the whole surface of the dough piece that will eventually contct with the tin during baking shall have had oil applied thereto. The operation of the flaps and 2, it will be seen, does not how- `ever permit oil to be applied to that surface which will form the top crust of the loaf.

According to another mode of carrying the inture comprising a side wall 52 and two end walls 53 is provided at the charging station for the tins 5. The end walls 53 are adapted to contact with the ends of cylindrical or like dough pieces delivered thereto while the side wall 52 of the box- `.i like structure is intended to contact with the cylindrical surface of the dough piece. The side wall 52 is arranged vertically or at a. slight angle beneath the flaps until the dough piece is defrom the vertical. The end walls and that part of the side wall against which the dough piece is to contact is covered with felt 54 and has. perforations 55 through which oil may -be fed .to the felt. Feed pipes may be provided for supplying oil through the perforations to the felt or the walls may be provided with reservoirs 55 for oil which is adapted to seep through the perforations into 'the felt covering s4. Instead of'upper and lower troughs as shown. the walls 52, 53 may be completely jacketed. I

At the open side of the box a fluted horizontal and end walls 53 of the box-like structure. The" surface of the side wall of the box-like structure that is adapted to apply oil is of a vertical extent equal to the arc of the cylinder of the dough piece it is intended to oil.

The dough pieces are delivered to the oiling device and are supported between the roller 51 and l the side wall 52 of the box. 'I'he revolution of the roller 51 in synchronism with the tin-feeding mechanism feeds the dough piece downwardly, rolling it against the oiling side wall and the end walls, so that as the dough piece leaves the box-like structure its ends and its cylindrical surface are oiled over the whole tin-contacting part, leaving only the part which is to constitute the baked top crust free from oil.

A guiding surface or wall 58 is provided to direct the oiled dough piece into the tin 5, such wall being adapted for contact with the un-oiled part of the dough piece.

According to other forms of oiling device, divided trays may be employed the surfaces of which are fed or saturated with oil and which open to deposit the dough pieces. These trays may be divided longitudinally and open hingewise, or they may be divided transversely and slide open with an axial separating movement. In either case, the walls adapted to contact with the ends of the dough piece may be in the form of piston members which are moved inward to apply oil when the dough pieces are deposited in the trays. The opening of the tray deposits the oiled dough piece in the tin in waiting below.

Thus referring to Figures 7, 8 and 9 a transversely divided trough having parts 58 and 88 is provided, these parts being supported and guided by arms 8l and 82 from a rectangular 4 section bar 88. 'Ihese trough parts are adapted to be moved relatively to one another in an axial direction to open the trough and allow the dough piece to fall into the tin 5. This 4opening movement is effected by springs 84, 85 under the control of rotary cams 88, 81 with which rollers 88 and 88 carried by the arms 8| and 82 co-operate. I'he cams are mounted upon a rotary drum 18 the movement of which is synchronised with the feeding of dough pieces by means of a ap c'ontrol device similar to that described with. reference to Figiu'es 1 to 4. Located within the trough Darts are end members 1I and 12 in the form of reciprocable piston elements which are mounted upon rods 18, 14 sliding in the side frames '18, 18 and secured to arms 11, 18 which are mounted to slide upon the rectangular bar 88. y movements of the trough end members 1I, 12 are effected by springs 18 and 88 under the control of cams 8| and 82 located. on the drum 18,

with which rollers 88 and i84 carried by the arms f 11 and 18 co-operate. 'I'he arrangement of the cams 88, 81, 8| and 82 is such that there are gaps in the cam path so that whenthe drum in its rotation brings the gaps in the cams to the position of the rollers 88, 88, 88 and 84 the latter are released so that their springs 84, 88 and 18, 88 can operate to cause the appropriate axial movements. The disposition of the cams is such that the rollers 83 and 84 associated with the trough ends leave their cam tracks earlier than the rollers 88 and 88 so that there is first a rapid movement of the trough ends 1l, 12 away from the dough piece. This movement is immediately followed by a .release of the rollers 88 and 88 from the cam tracks 88 and 81 to allow the springs 84 and 85 to operate and give a rapid opening movement t0 the trough parts 58 and 80 whereby the doughA piece is allowed-to fall into the tin. The opening movement of the trough partsis followed by a closing movement which is effected by the cam track 88 and 81 pressing against the .rollers to bring the trough parts together again ready for the next delivery of a dough piece. The outer movements of the trough ends 1 I, 12.under the action of the springs 18, 80 terminate by the abutting of the collars of the arms 11, 18 against stops 85 and 86 on the bar 83. Similarly stop members 81 and 88 are provided on the bar 83 against which the sleeves of the arms 8l, 82. are adapted to abut when the trough parts are in their outer open positions. These stops 81 and 88 are provided with a cushioning means such as sorbo rubber buffers.

The trough parts 58 and 88 and the trough ends 1I, 12 are all provided with a surface of felt to which oil is supplied by suitable means such as the arrangement of oil trough or jackets on the various parts. After the trough parts 58 and 80 have been closed to the position indicated in Figure 8 there is a dwell period during which the dough pieces are delivered. This dwell period is obtained by'a suitable shaping of the cam tracks 68, 81 as will be observed from the plan view Figure 8.

With regard to the trough ends 1|, 12 it will be appreciated that their inner or closing move- Theaxial ment will be effected by suitable contour of the cam after the dough piece has been delivered onto the trough so as to bring the oiled felt surface of the end pieces into engagement with the dough piece when the latter has been delivered into the trough.

I claim:

1. Dough oiling and delivery apparatus comprising a pair of cooperating flaps mounted for rotation upon parallel axes, said aps having oil bearing surfaces, dough contacting end plates between which the flaps operate, said ilaps in their rotary movements sweeping over said end plates and imparting a coating of oil thereto from said oil bearing surfaces. v

2. Dough oiling and delivery apparatus comprising a pair of cooperating flaps, each ap being of wedge shape in cross section and having cylindrical rear faces which serve as rolling surfaces for the dough, said flaps being mounted for rotation upon parallel axes and having oil bearing surfaces.

3. Dough oiling and delivery apparatus comprising a pair of cooperating naps mounted for rotation upon parallel axes, each iiap being wedge shape in cross section and having a cylindrical rear face concentric with the axis of rotation, said naps having oil bearing faces, said axes being spaced apart so that said cylindrical rear faces press the dough to feed it downwardly between the flaps.

4. Dough oiling and delivery apparatus comprising a pair of cooperating flaps mounted for rotation upon parallel axes, each nap comprising a hollow element having perforated walls, 'a layer of felt covering the exterior surfaces of said walls, and meansfor delivering oil to the interior o1 the flaps.

LAURENCE SEYMOUR HARBER.. 

